Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1887-06-24

II ia situated ono milo north Of tho crossing oil
| Main and Broad strcots, Lancaster. The tor
| Of Mount Pleasant is two hundred and nifty
feet higher than tho land adjacent TO its base
The area Of the summit ia about two acres Tho
main approach is from tho east by an easy path.
The southern face of the mountain is q vorti.
chl ledge OF white sandstone
The summit OF Mount Pleasant is mhgnin-
cent point OF View Tho Hooking Valley
stretches out for miles In every direction before
tho eve Of the locker, and six miles to the south.
east the buildings OF tho Reform Farm can bo
readily disccrnod
The Indian name for Mount Pleasant was
"Standing Stone" n more significant and SON
siblc one than IL now bears.
Since the white man came into the valley tho
appearance Of the Mount hns been very much
changed. IL has bcci robbed OF Its rich and
picturesque growth of shrubs and forest trccs,
which has done much to dctruct from Its wild,
romantic beauty.
Every stranger OF consequence who visits
Lancaster is gently exercised by trudge to the
top of Mount Pleasant and in 1888 the Duke OF
Saxony clambcrcd to the summit and cut his
name in the sandstone ledge. Tho walk TO tho
top OF Mount Pleasant has been popular ono
ever since.
When the valley was first settled Mt. Pleas
ant was the choice abode Of hundreds of rattlo-
snakes. Tho settlers used to turn out occasion
ally and consume half day in the jolly pastimo
OF snake killing. Tho snako.slaying foragcs
were so fatal TO the snakes that they have been
quito thoroughly cxtcrminatcd.
IL would have been In the interest of msthet-
icism II the pioneers had killed tho snakes and
spared the trees on Mt. Pleasant.
In tho latter rpart of 100 the first mail
route through the interior of Ohio was cs,ab.
lishcd. The mail was carried on horseback
once . wcc; over Hnnc's Trace from Wheeling
TO Maysvillc, Ky. The whole distance was 226
miles, and the way led through dense wilder
ness.
Tho pioneer mail carriers must have been
daring fellows who were not afraid Of long perl
ods of solitude.
Tho line was divided into three routes. Tho
first was from Wheeling to GAINESVILLE, the
second from the Muskingum to the Scoto, and
tho third from the Scotio TO the Ohio or to
Mnysvillc.
The first postmaster in Fairfield County was
Samuel Coates, an Englishman by birth.
The rate OF postage was graduated by the
distance that u letter was to he carried. The
price for carrying u letter fifty miles or less
was six and n quarter cents; more than fifty
aud less thnn q hundred miles, twelve and n
half cents, between one hundred and hfty and
three hundred miles, eighteen and thrcc.quar
ter cents; over three hundred miles to any
point In the United States twenty-five cents.
Two sheets folded together were regarded as
two letters and double rate was charged, ''at
least that was the law for time"
Under the old laws postage was not required
to bC paid In advance, but II it was prepaid tho
word paid was written on the outside of tho
letter 10y the postmaster In like manner the
amount of the postage was written on tho cor
ncr Of the letter,
The first comcrs to tho West had, as n rule,